The Alpha's Last Mate

Deep in the forbidden forest of Tanyaka were some young men and women. Olivia an orphaned girl accompanied her childhood friends Allan and Gary to hunt perhaps, an antelope or any other wild animal they could catch. With them also was Olivia's step-sister Rhoda, the daughter of an infamous witch mistress who also happened to be Olivia's stepmother. Just the reason why Rhoda is out with them hunting that afternoon remained a puzzle Olivia could not solve, given her step sister's cold attitude towards her right from when they were children.

Another thing that seemed to have captured her attention was the fact, which the group chose to hunt in the much dreaded Tanyaka forest. Olivia made it clear to them her strong opposition to the idea from the very beginning but, succumbed to the pressure of her childhood friends.

Olivia leaned beside a tree to take some breath after walking for a long time. "I'm still wondering what made you guys think there is such a nice spot for hunting when we have other nearby woods where we can hunt?''

Gary approached her, "come on Olivia! Don't tell me you are not having a good time like we are doing? Here is such a wonderful place if you ask me.''

Allan who appears to be full of energy at the moment, makes a sudden stop too, "here is a virgin land as they say. There are good chances we might end up killing an antelope with more fat in it, than what the other antelopes in the woods close to our village could offer.''

Without wasting her time, Rhoda sits on a huge root of one of the big trees at the place they had gathered. "You are it again Olivia! I thought we had made it clear from the very beginning that, this is what we wanted and we never forced you to come along with us in the first place. Everyone seems to be enjoying our little hunting and exploration, except you. Why?''

"Because I'm not comfortable of course,'' answered Olivia as she turns around to face Rhoda. "You all know the tale of how this forest is enshrouded in mystery.''

Allan tries to counter. "Wait a minute, what mystery are you talking about right here because I don't get it, Olivia?''

"I think Olivia is talking about the werewolves who were thought to have inhabited this part of the forest, a very long time ago,'' Gary opined. He makes short eye contact with Olivia. "Oh! Thank God you told us from the beginning of your statement, 'it's a tale.' And that is what it is Olivia.''

"If indeed, werewolves are inhabiting this place as you believed then, why haven't we run into any one of them ever since, we have been roaming around the forest?'' Rhoda's argument seems to make convincing sense to Olivia but deep down in her heart, she doesn't want to believe them. She had her doubt.

"What can you say about that Olivia?'' Asked Allan. "I'm pretty sure you have nothing to say about your fantasy legend?''

Defiant, Olivia counters, "what if these legends are true? What do you think will become of us?''

Gary stared at Olivia and begins to walk toward where she is currently seating. "Oh come on Olivia! That can never be real.'' He had hardly finished speaking when some strange noises were heard from the thick vegetation, just a few meters away from where they were standing.

"What was that?'' Asked Rhoda while drifting closer to Allan.

Allan drew his bow at once and aimed at the direction of the noise they had heard. "I don't know. Let's find out! Show yourself or I will have to shoot.''

"Easy Allan. Maybe, that could be our trophy of course. Who knows if it might be one those antelopes we have been searching for so badly, for a long time now?'' Gary drew his bow as well and begins to march forward in the direction of the strange voice with Allan while the two ladies stayed behind them.

Allan shot into the vegetation but, there was no sign of any antelope or any other kind of animal. When the same sounds were heard over again, it became obvious they were not made by any familiar animal. Olivia was the last person standing behind their back and couldn't figure out what the other three had encountered in the front.

Just as her impatience grew, she lets out her frustration. "Don't you guys think this is the right time for us to leave? I told you earlier, the stories we have heard about this forest are real but, none of you cared to listen to me.''

"Nobody is leaving!" Shouted a harsh-heavy voice from their back. They turned their back only to see Olivia being held by three strange-huge-looking men. At once they fled leaving Olivia behind in the hands of the strangers. Olivia cried as much as she could but, the powerful hand of one of the men who held her by the throat couldn't let her shout more. A quick thought came to her, 'Allan and Gary were both with bows and enough arrows, and they could have drawn them at the strange men and forced them to let her go. But that never happened instead, they cowardly left her all alone to her fate.

She struggled to free herself from the man who held her, "let's go of me! Who are you? What do you want? Please let me go! I have done nothing wrong to you people."

Alpha Ramon walks up to them, "you have done nothing bad to us but unfortunately, you are paying the debt someone you are well acquainted with, owed us. That is what we have come to get back.''

"I don't know what you are talking about, I don't even know why this is happening? Who are you?''

"Let her go!'' Ramon commanded. Just when Olivia was set free, Ramon quickly seized her hand and grabbed her by the hair and, watched Olivia scream in pain. "Hey, bitch! Don't tell me you don't know who we are?''

"You are hurting me! Oh god please don't kill me!'' Olivia cried out.

"Yes, I know. And I'm enjoying every bit of it?'' The alpha answered, much to the laughter and excitement of the werewolves with him. "You must be Olivia the stepdaughter of Catherina, the almighty witch?''

"Let go of me!'' Olivia protested. Her protest, however, was met with a hot slap from the unmerciful alpha.

"Answer me, when I'm talking to you! You piece of trash!" His eyes glowed with fierce anger.

Terrified, she answered, "Yes I am Olivia. Why am I been subjected to inhuman treatment?''

Ramon slapped her for the second time before resuming, "one more word I will change my mind.'' He stared at the other wolves, "blindfold and bind her at once!" He gave an order.

Olivia could see he was mean. Disobeying these unfriendly strangers could spell more woes for her. She decided to cooperate with them although, still naive about her fate. Despite her ugly condition, she demanded with a timid voice to know what would be her fate at the hands of the strangers. "Where are you taking me to and what's the end game for me?''

Ramon stared at her as she was been bound with strong ropes, "we are taking you to a place where you will pay the debt your stepmother owed us. And if you demand to know what will become of you, then hear me out. You will be offered as a sacrifice to our moon goddess. Hahahaha...!'' He laughed shortly.

Her heart pounded faster than it did previously. She needs no soothsayer to tell her, she was in big trouble, and these strangers were no other people but, the werewolves of the Tanyaka forest. No doubt the legend is real.

'But, what connection exists between her stepmother Catherina and the wolves? One which will see her being offered as a sacrifice. She knew Catherina has been maltreating her right from childhood however, she could not imagine or believe the unfolding magnitude of this wickedness. Sometimes, she wonders why she was adopted by Catherina the witch mistress. Catharina couldn't have adopted her if she had no ulterior intention for her. Now, it's becoming clear to her, that the witch had taken her in to pay her debt with her poor blood. Nevertheless, she doubted if her friends had colluded with her stepmother and Rhoda to make this happen. For some reason, she couldn't think of that to be true. Allan and Gary are the only people she could trust in this world. Maybe, what happened was a coincidence. She comforted herself with the pleasing thought, that they will come to be back to rescue her.

She imagined being killed and offered as a sacrifice to the werewolf's deity. Something she never imagined could ever happen. "When are you going to kill me?''

"When the moon goddess decides. Poor human!'' Said alpha, Ramon. He was pleased with the bounty sacrifice about to be offered to the moon goddess of the werewolf clan. Not only, will he gain more powers but as will, solidify his legacy as the leader of the wolf clan. "Bitch!" He called out as she was been dragged away mercilessly by his wolf warriors. "Do you have anyone endeared, you would wish to speak with or see for the last time?" Smirked the alpha.

She lifts her head in the direction of his voice since she was blinded. "Does it matter?''

"Well then, take her away!'' Replied the alpha.

Olivia's hands were tied behind her back. Her eyes were blinded-folded, as they headed towards an unknown destination in the vast forest of Tanyaka. Visible tears were running down her cheeks as they pushed her along. Her life right from childhood has been marred by suffering and now worst of all, she is going to die horribly.

Olivia was kept in a small room that looked more like a cell for two days. During those times, she was fed on bread, water, and vegetables but was not allowed to move freely. It was not until the evening did he came to see her again.

"Get up human!" One of the two wolves sent to fetch her commanded.

When Olivia got up from where she was lying, they had her chains unlocked and led her out, only to meet face-to-face with the Alpha. She trembled in great fear when she saw the Alpha.

Alpha Ramon, upon approaching her, gave her a thunderous slap. That alone sent her head bending slightly like a slave being maltreated by her master. "So you are the scum, Catherina has always told me about? You will surely be fit for our moon goddess,'' he lifted her head and slapped her for the second time. "Tell me, Olivia, how does it feel to be betrayed? Tell me, how does it feel to be lied to and to be used for a long time without having any idea about the reason? Only when you answer these questions then, you find out why your friends had abandoned you and fled upon our arrival. You don't have to be surprised about that. You see, your friends knew you were completely worthless and that's why they conspired with your stepmother to hand you over to us. From the very day, I set my eyes on you, I knew you would be the one to usher in a new era of greatness once I offered you as a sacrifice to our moon goddess. Your death will make me more powerful than I am now. Maybe, I can live for a thousand years and still maintain dominance in the Lycan world.'' The Alpha's harsh words were immediately followed by strange events.

Olivia saw two glowing yellowish eyes lurking around her and Alpha Ramon from the dark. One can only imagine what will happen next.

"Show your face or I will have to find you myself!'' Commanded the Alpha, while the other wolf-warriors with him had since been on alert. As they all looked on, a feminine figure appeared from the dark.

"How are you doing my love?'' Asked a feminine voice at the same time, getting closer to the Alpha.

Olivia noticed the gentility in her voice and concluded the visitor must be someone familiar with the Alpha Wolf. She was correct. Beta Ruana is Alpha's Ramon's destined mate. All the other female wolves had stayed clear of their path. While Ruana is his destined wolf mate, she has not been officially recognized by the Wolf clan until the great power from the moon goddess is bestowed on him. That power can only come when Olivia is offered as a sacrifice.

"What brings you here, Ruana, at this time of the night to the Alpha's abode?" queried Ramon.

"To see how you are getting ready for the great day, my love. I can't wait for us to finally be together.'' Something suddenly caught Ruana's attention. It's the human sacrifice she has longed to see if her dream of being with Alpha Ramon should come true. She moved closer to Olivia, walking past Ramon. "Oh look at who we have here,'' she dragged her by the hair briefly. Olivia screamed in pain. "You are the one I have been looking forward to meeting. Finally, we met. The spilling of your blood to our moon goddess will not only make me the queen of the wolves but one of the dreaded betas. A new dawn will begin. Your fellow humans will be made to feel the wrath of the wolves. Your lands will be conquered. Your loved ones, if you still have any, will be slain. Women and children, the old and the young, the weak and the strong; all will be killed or subjected to our rule. There will be no opposition to our conquest of humans. Anyone who rises against us will be decimated. No more shall we exist in fairy tales and legends. We will come out of the shadows this time.''

Olivia said nothing but kept staring in absolute fear. She tried to ignore Ruana by bending and looking downwards, but that was quickly stopped by Ruana's loud slap. "Don't you have anything to say, you poor little thing?'' she kicked her in the abdomen while Ramon and the other Alphas just looked on. Conquering humans is not on his agenda. Ramon prefers the Wolf clan to continue to remain in seclusion or hidden from the real human world. Contrary to his objective, Ruana, his destined wolf-mate, prefers a more brutal wolf conquest of humans. She simply wants to continue the legacy of her late wolf father who was killed during the great battle of the werewolves and vampires in Gaia woods. Before his death, Ruana's father was a leading Alpha in the Wolf clan who advocated for human conquest after decimating the vampire clan, despite the relative peace that had existed between the wolves and humans. Now her daughter wishes to continue with her father's legacy.

"That's enough, my love. You don't want to keep her in an unhealthy condition, do you? We have to leave her in the best possible shape so that the moon goddess will be appeased by the quality of our sacrifice,'' Ramon intervened.

"You are right but why did you bring her out here?" Queried Ruana. "She should be kept in the prison where she belonged.''

"Why are you doing this?'' For the first time, Olivia spoke. Her words attracted the attention of the wolves.

"Doing what, human?'' Ruana held her by the neck. "Doing what, human? Answer me!''

"You are tightening your grip on my neck. You are choking me. I can't breathe!'' Olivia cried. "Why this wickedness? I have done nothing to the wolves to deserve this."

"I see,'' she lessened her grip on Olivia's neck. "You have done nothing to deserve this but, you are paying the debt owed by your stepmother ever since you were a kid. I'm sure my loving Alpha must have told you about that?''

Tears flooded Olivia's eyes as she remembered the horrible way she was going to die in the short time to come. She couldn't believe that all the time she spent in Catherina's house was all for a purpose. 'How wicked Catharina must have been,' she thought.

"Take her back to the place she belonged to,'' the Alpha approaches her lunar to-be, and held her by the hands. "We have to let her be now. She should be taken inside,'' he suggested, having been moved by a slight pity for his prisoner.

"That sounds to me like you are beginning to feel for the human girl. Correct me if I am wrong." Ruana suspected.

"Wrong! You are wrong Ruana. I feel nothing whatsoever, for her,'' the Alpha defended himself but, not without trying to drag Ruana away from Olivia who was already exhausted from the psychological and physical tortures she had been subjected to. "Return her to the prison," Ramon commanded the wolf-warriors for the second time.

Ramon had lied to his soon-to-be Luna when he told her he felt no pity for Olivia. He had been holding himself from revealing his weakness. That would send a wrong message not only to Ruana but also to his wolf-warriors with him right there. His impulse to feel pity for Olivia even became stronger, when Ruana abused her. He couldn't do anything other than feel for her. He and Ruana simply stared as the human girl was taken away and sent back to the wolf prison. "I think you should go back home Ruana, now she has been taken away."

Ruana turned to face him, "You sound like I had come for her instead of you?''

"Don't misunderstand me. I mean you should go home and have some rest. I will be with you in a short time."

"Then, what will you doing back here?''

"I have got some unfinished business to take care of,'' Ramon answered while rubbing her shoulders gently in order to pacify her. But Ruana pressed on.

"May I know what they are, the unfinished business, if you don't mind?''

He knows if he doesn't devise a means to distract Ruana, she will continue to press on with her inquisitiveness until he reveals his plans to her which, he doesn't want her to know about.

"Hey, your hair is so long and beautiful!'' He smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you Ramon but, my hair has always been like this. Don't act as if this is the first time you are seeing it.''

Frustrated by her persistence, he became more forceful in his voice. "Time to leave my love,'' he gave her a peck on her cheek and let go of her hands.

Ruana reluctantly, turned her back to leave. "Okay, I will go if this is what you want.'' She walked a few meters, transformed into a wolf, and vanished with the help of her supernatural strength.

Immediately after she left, he turned to his wolf warriors again, "Bring her out!'' Olivia came out, but not without limping slightly from the injuries she had sustained when Ruana, hit her abdomen with her Lycan strength. Her posture was easy to notice and the Alpha wasted no time in figuring out what could be the cause of her unhealthy condition. "Leave us alone,'' he told his wolf warriors, about five of them to leave.

A few seconds later, Olivia found herself standing face to face with the Alpha all alone. She couldn't figure out what their second meeting was all about. It makes no sense to her because, just some minutes ago, the same man had humiliated her together with his Luna-to-be, Ruana. She wondered if he was trying to solicit some information from her. This could be her only possible right guess to her question. On the other hand, she was sure she possessed no vital information he might need. Whatever it was, she decided she would not cooperate with him since she was going to be killed eventually. "Olivia!'' Alpha Ramon called. Olivia could notice the sudden change in both his tone and body language but was still unsure of what their meeting could be. She ignored him and pretended as if nothing had happened. 'Whatever he has to say, should be said quickly and let her go back into the dungeon where she belonged,' Olivia thought. However, things did not go the way she had wished. The Alpha simply kept staring at her under the moonlight. 'Is he speechless now?' Olivia asked herself silently as she couldn't understand exactly why they were standing in an awkward position. Her abdomen still hurt but, she lacked the power to speed up whatever they were going to do or talk about. As a way of reminding him of her present inconvenience, she leaned down and pressed her stomach. Nevertheless, the Alpha remained silent although he continued to gaze at her with an unknown intention. Only he could certainly explain what was going on in his mind at the moment. Like an instinct, he quickly reached out to Olivia. His hands were on her shoulders. He slowly tried to lift her to her feet. "Were you hurt Olivia?'' His voice no doubt, contained some elements of pity in them. Shocked, Olivia could not believe his little kind gesture. She sensed she could be heading towards something she had no clue about. Just what made him so nice, and equally changed him at the moment, remained a mystery to be solved.

"Why the sudden change in attitude?" At last, Olivia could summon enough courage to confront him with a question.

The alpha was speechless. He tried to cover up. "Were you hurt by Ruana?''

"No, I wasn't hurt,'' she lied. "Why did you send everyone away? Is it time? Are you planning to kill me right on the spot?"

"Believe me, if I want to kill you, I will not be the one to do that. They are the ones. (Referring to his wolf warriors) That's their job and not mine." He removed his hands completely from her body before asking her a question. "Olivia, tell me more about yourself. How was life like living under Catherina?''

"Do you care? Look, all of these don't matter. I'm going to be killed by you after all so, I don't see any need for us going into this talk,'' she shifted a bit away from him.

"I know life has never been easy for you. You can't hide that. I could see that from the very first day Catherina your stepmother promised to exchange you, for setting her free, and for the good services we rendered to her.'' He made a bold move and grabbed her hands. He lifted them, "Don't move Olivia or you are going to get hurt.'' He cut the rope tied to her two hands with a small sharp knife he had brought from his pocket. Olivia felt relieved but, it did not change the resentment she felt against the werewolves, stemming from the way she had been treated. "How do feel now? A bit of relief I guess?'' She never answered him but maintained an unusual silence. "Don't tell me, human girl, you don't want to talk?'' He waited for some seconds for her to speak nevertheless, Olivia was silent. "Fine if you don't want to talk then, I will have no choice rather but to send you into the dungeon.''